Christopher Wenner
 |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2009) |
| Max Christopher Wenner | |
|---|---|
| Born | Max Christopher Wenner 6 December 1954 |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | Max Stahl[citation needed] |
| Occupation | Television presenter |
| Known for | Blue Peter and international war coverage. |
Christopher Wenner (born 6 December 1954) is a British journalist and former British television presenter.
On 14 September 1978, Wenner joined the British children's television programme, Blue Peter. However, he left on 23 June 1980 (on the same day as his co-presenter Tina Heath), after the production team decided not to renew his contract as he was "deeply unpopular with the viewers" [1] He returned to acting, taking a part in the 1984 Doctor Who adventure The Awakening, although in the final cut, his role was reduced to that of a non-speaking character. He then focussed on journalism.
In 1985, whilst working as a war correspondent in Beirut, he went missing; he turned up again, safe and well, after 18 days. In 1991, he shot footage of a demonstration in Dili, East Timor, preceding a massacre and during the massacre itself. He filmed inside the Santa Cruz cemetery among the dead and the dying, as soldiers advanced in a well-organised operation against a huge crowd of East Timorese engaged in peaceful protest. It was Wenner's footage that brought the plight of the East Timorese to world attention. In 1999 Wenner returned to East Timor and his reports from there. under the name of Max Stahl. won the 2000 Rory Peck Award for hard news war journalism.
Wenner was one of the first Western journalists to recognize the scope of tensions in Chechnya, going in there with his cameraman, filmmaker and author Peter Vronsky in 1992 to report on the break-away republic and nuclear weapons materials smuggling for the Canadian produced television special The Hunt for Red Mercury/
In 1998, whilst working as an ITN journalist for Channel 4, Wenner was beaten by Serb civilians during a mass protest.
He returned to Blue Peter in 1983 and 1998 to celebrate the show's birthdays. He is now a father of two, and runs his own production company, as well as continuing his career in journalism.
[edit] References
- ^ Marson, Richard. "Blue Peter" 50th Anniversary Book: The Story of Television's Longest-running Children's Programme. Hamlyn Books 2008. ISBN 978-0600617938
| Preceded by John Noakes |
Blue Peter Presenter No. 9 1978-80 |
Succeeded by Peter Duncan |
 |
This article about a British journalist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 |
This biographical article related to British television is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
